Jim Risch: “I rise today to introduce a bill called the Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act. This bill is identical to the House…”

“I rise today to introduce a bill called the Idaho Wilderness Water Facilities Act. This bill is identical to the House version, H.R. 876, which was introduced and carried through the House by my colleague from Idaho, Representative Mike Simpson, who did yeoman's work on pursuing this and putting it together and shepherding it through. It passed unanimously in the House. I thank him on behalf of all Idahoans for his work on this issue. The need for this legislation is simple. The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, which was designated by Congress in 1980, abuts the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness area, which was designated by Congress in 1964. These areas contain some of the largest and most rugged remote tracts of land in the lower 48 States. It is magnificent in its beauty--substantially better, in my opinion, than the Alps. There are a number of water diversions within the Idaho wilderness areas that have existed since the time of this legislation--since the time these wilderness areas were established. Although the diversions continue to exist, the owners currently lack authority to maintain and repair the facilities. Predating the existence of these two wilderness areas, private landowners had received permits to maintain and repair water diversions that existed on National Forest System lands.…”